it ’ s why if it bleeds it leads , it ’ s why , in the words of author and media critic Ryan Holiday , “ MSNBC ’ s real goal is to glue you to a television screen and sell you Subarus .” We get addicted to that hit as our amygdala constantly scans the world for problems . No wonder sometimes that ’ s all we see !
So what ’ s Step 3 to developing a happier mindset ?
Swap negative inputs for positive inputs . Cancel your newspaper subscriptions , unfollow all news sites on social media , swipe left on your iPhone and scroll down to disable the News Widget that automatically pops up . What ’ s the goal ? Swap superficial knowledge of “ many bad things every single day ” for deeper knowledge on the things that matter to you most . How ? Through reading books . And , signing up for emails that actually serve and honor your attention instead of mining it for ads .
Don ’ t worry . After you ditch the news you ’ ll still know what ’ s going on . It ’ s impossible to avoid all the TV screens blaring in the corner of every elevator , dentist office , or airport lounge . You may know less about what ’ s going on but you ’ ll be consciously trading that in for deeper knowledge , greater wisdom , and , yes , a happier mindset .
WHAT ARE THE THREE STEPS TO DEVELOPING A HAPPIER MINDSET ? Step 1 : Flip your happiness model . Step 2 : Commit to a " 20 for 20 " happiness challenge .
Step 3 : Swap negative inputs for positive inputs .
Do you think you can do it ? I know you can do it .
Start right now .
Neil Pasricha is the New York Times-best-selling author of The Happiness Equation and The Book of Awesome series , which has been published in 10 countries , spent over five years on best-seller lists , and sold over a million copies . Pasricha is a Harvard MBA , one of the most popular TED speakers of all time , and after ten years heading Leadership Development at Walmart he now serves as Director of The Institute for Global Happiness . He has dedicated the past 15 years of his life to developing leaders , creating global programs inside the world ’ s largest companies and speaking to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe . He lives in Toronto with his wife and sons .
And good luck !
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